De La Hoya vs Forbes bout set for May 3

Oscar De La Hoya laughs before a news conference by boxers Bernard Hopkins and Joe Calzaghe at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on Feb. 21.
Fight at the Home Depot Center will serve as prelude to De La Hoya's September rematch with Mayweather.

By Lance Pugmire, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Oscar De La Hoya's Golden Boy Promotions officially announced Friday that De La Hoya will fight Steve Forbes on May 3 at the Home Depot Center in Carson.

Calling the event "homecoming weekend," De La Hoya, the East Los Angeles star who won a 1992 Olympic gold medal for the U.S. and has won six world championships, will fight Forbes (33-5, nine knockouts) in advance of his September rematch against unbeaten welterweight champion Floyd Mayweather Jr.

The Forbes bout will mark a preview of an anticipated war of words between cornermen, as trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr. has returned to train De La Hoya (38-5, 30 KOs). In Forbes' corner will be the elder Mayweather's brother, Roger, who also serves as Floyd Jr.'s trainer.

Mayweather Sr. was set aside in favor of Freddie Roach by De La Hoya before his May 2007 bout -- a split-decision loss to Mayweather Jr. -- but the sides have reunited.

The bout will be televised on HBO. A network spokesman said this week there were no plans to offer the channel free that weekend.